Two posts in one day. Unbelievable. I wanted to post the baptism collage. It turned out so nice and I will use it as a template for my birthday/baptism gift for my primary class this year.

Spring has sprung in Southern California, although honestly it is hard to tell since we have flowers all year long. Today I was wondering about my garden in SLC. I invested a fair amount of time in perennials and always loved this time of year. The bulbs come out and there is promise in the wind. The Red Leaf Oak in my front yard here has beautiful blossoms so I posed Spencer behind the branches. What's a picture without a body Tomorrow we start our local vacation. We will spend a couple of days in San Diego (Legoland) and next week a few days on Catalina Island. When I tell people we are going to Catalina, so many say, "I've lived here all my life and never been there." I told my brother Steve we were going and he reminded me of a great trip we took there when we were Spencer and Michaela's age. It made me remember a rather touching side to my brother Steve. Years ago when we were just older than Spence and Michaela, maybe 12 and 13, we used to participate in the MS 20 Mile Walk-a-Thons. You would ask your friends and family to pledge a certain amount per mile you walked. We started out with neighbor friends but Steve and the boys quickly moved ahead. My friend, Karen Shingler, was worn out and wasn't able to finish, so around mile 16, I was alone. I was so tired and a bit lonely, I wondered if I should just quit as well. Steve had finished the race and he was in the car looking for me along the path. I was still an hour and a half from finishing and ready to give up but he chose to walk with me the rest of the way. So he really walked 24 miles. That night I remember blisters and my Mom putting together plastic bags full of water and Epsom Salts and for the rest of my life I will remember my brother walking with me when I was discouraged much like our Elder Brother.

Enough for now...Love to all.

My Yin and Yang. On Sunday, I was at the church taking pictures for a baptism so I snapped a few shots of Spence and Michaela. Their approach to the picture in the tree so typifies their personalities. And each one carries a piece of my personality and my heart.

I was reading the Ensign yesterday and came on an article on a family service. We decided to do a family service project once a month through the end of the year. We will each rotate leading the activity. Spence is first and he has chosen to do blankets for The Nesting Place, a home for mothers who need a place to stay while they have their babies. He has always loved little children and babies.

I put together a baptism collage for one of my primary children. It turned out very nice so I will post. I love the picture of the font. I took this while the font was filling.

Enough for now...love to all.

We just received an baby announcement from Spencer and Michaela's Nanny/Friend, Amy Rowbotham that she has had a little boy. We lost contact with her when she got married a little over a year ago but she was such a great influence on our family in the early years. She loved my children and cared for them so well it mitigated the guilt a working mother sometimes has. Besides which they never looked more put together. Knowing she now has a boy caused me to reflect on my own Spence. I have often said, no man in this life loves you like your little boy. Spencer and I have had a close and loving connection all of his life. He is a bit of a mama's boy and we used to joke that if there was a way back into the womb, Spencer would opt in. Spence has so many great and gentle qualities. He is always pleasant and mostly compliant when asked to do something. He is very loving with younger children. When Kailey Jo visited Spencer would push her around the house in circles to keep her occupied. He is a wonderfully accepting child of others. I have never heard or seen him be unkind to other children and there are a couple of girls in his fourth grade class that seem to like his style. Spence excels at math and many things come easily to him. He loves GameBoy but doesn't care for GameCube as much. He prefers being indoors to outside. Spence loves to make things. He formed this funny little Minnie Me club at school. The main point seems to be pulling your t-shirt over your knees and walking around. That night he came home and made membership cards for the club members. He is quirky, loving and fun and I feel blessed to be his mom.

Enought for now...love to all.

I think I have mentioned before my immense respect for Den Leaders. This is a shot of Spencer at a recent Pack meeting. This is not a position that I covet but I am so impressed at the work this sisters do. I don't know if the scouts realize how much goes into to these quality activities. Hats off to Erica Blackmun and Janet Hale.

We had lunch this weekend with our dear friends Celeste and Cody. They are truly a unique couple. Quirky and generous. One of their favorite pastimes is shopping for clothes at the local thrift store. Cody proudly indicated that the outfit he wore on Saturday cost a whopping $5. Wish you could see the pants in the photo. Polyester vintage 1970. He is so handsome he can pull it off. Don't know if you can tell from the photo but our Celeste is 4.5 months pregnant. They just found out they are having a boy. More bitty booties to follow. We are so excited for them and can't wait to declare our psuedo grandparent-like status.

Spence and Michaela are on a mission. I gave Spence a bank that count the money as you put it in. Together they have scoured every square inch of this house looking for change. Oddly, they believe that any change withing the Tate borders belongs to them, including change in my wallet. They have a goal to buy a DS game that costs $29. Somehow they have gone from $3 to nearly $25 in a couple of days. In addition, they want to be paid for everything. We sang last night for the local Retirement Communities Family Home Evening Pot Luck. I told the kids if they would practice their solos on their own, I would pay them a dollar for singing. Next thing you know these little extortionists want $2 a song. They do make us laugh. Here is the program:

Seize the Day Newsies Spencer

Love Song Pippin Doug and Stacey

Loathing Wicked Layla and Stacey

Popular Wicked Layla

I Dreamed a Dream Les Miserables Stacey

Bring Him Home Les Miserables Doug

It went well and it is always fun to sing with Doug and the kids. They have great potential.

This afternoon I am off to Parent Torture Conference.

So enough for now...love to all.

These are the Bitty Booties--my current obsession. These are all handmade. The pattern is very easy and the fun is in the creation. The flowers on the toes of the blue ones are done with ribbon embroidery. So fun and a really inexpensive way to give a handmade baby gift.

Finally, my camera is back--so here is Michaela with her post-Locks of Love hairdo riding her Wave.

Enough for now...love to all.

I may have a touch of Spring fever. I am having a difficult time concentrating. I have resorted to making lists on sticky notes because I can seem to complete a task before my mind has moved on. I am taking vacation when the kids are off for Spring Break in a couple of weeks. We are planning a local vacation to San Diego.

I just picked up an interesting book on how blogs are changing the ways a company communicates with its customers. I do sense that this medium will soon require filters and the ability to screen or invite readers to protect the owner.

I have been sewing "bitty booties"--free pattern link attached. http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Booties.html

At first, I wanted to make one pair as a gift for a new mom in the ward. Three pair later Doug mentions to me that if I were to sell them for $6. a pair at a Craft Boutique, I could make nearly 50 cents an hour.

Still they are "bitty" and beautiful. I cannot give the last two pairs away until my camera battery arrives and I can take pictures of these little beauties.

Enough for now...love to all.

I'll be back...

Today, I finally gave up and ordered a new camera battery charger online ($43 bucks, ouch!). It seems without the photos to go with the blog, I don't blog. But soon I will be snapping my pics and posting with panache.

We saw a great movie this weekend with the kids called "The Last Mimsy." Great family movie.

Doug and I have been asked to provide the entertainment for an Older Singles Family Home Evening. I told the kids I wanted them to join us. Each would do a solo and we would do a couple of songs together. Who knows why but it totally stressed Spencer out. Apparently he has to write, memorize and deliver a speech in two weeks and having to perform for the elderly put him over the edge. What kind of mother would do this to her children.

Tomorrow, I teach Spencer's class about Maurits Escher. He is an artist famous for utilizing tessellations (I didn't know what they were either before today). Tessellations are arrangements of closed shapes that completely cover the plane without overlapping or leaving gaps. This kids should love it. So enjoy the art.

Enough for now...love to all.

I have been off the blogger radar for over a week now. Mostly due to a project I have been working on day and night for the last week or so. For the Relief Society Birthday Party, I thought it would be great to put together an quote book for the sisters with each of them submitting a favorite. I then used digital scrapbooking software to create a beautiful (IMHO) layout.
It became a project out of control. On Friday night I worked on it at my office from 5:00pm till 5:30 am in the morning. I wanted to have all the printing completed because some sisters were coming to the house at 9:00 am to assemble the booklets. The women came and we got most of it done.
Then the next day, a number of sisters came up to me with entries. Okay, so I thought to myself, it should be too tough to add a couple of pages to the back...add another 8 hours of work. I love how they turned about and it was truly a labor of love. I do have a haunting little nagging feeling in the back of my mind that someone's quote was left out or someone will be offended that they didn't end up on the front page.
When I post a photo I will.
Enough for now...love to all.

This should be a quick post today but I guess I want to confess. Last night was Spencer's scouting "Blue and Gold" banquet. So what's to confess. I really dislike Pack meetings. I know, I know....it's a great place for families to go and have fun together but honestly I always feel a bit lost and usually end up making some excuse to leave early. Maybe it is the lack of chick chat.

The sisters who run our cub scouts are amazing. They plan serious cool stuff for the boys. I don't dare write this for fear. The old saying, "from my lips to God's ear...." Den mother is one calling I would have a hard time accepting.

Anyway, last night was a cake competition. Spence and I built a volcano cake (as did 6 other families) but it looked cool and Spence won Best Exploding Lava. Here is what the cake looked like..well almost.

Enough for now...love to all.

Wii are nuts. I have been trying to buy a Wii Game Console since Christmas. In the last two days I have bid on 30 Wii Consoles on Ebay. After calling every Gamestop within 20 miles, spending last Saturday on a Wii Trek. Someone at Target told us they were getting a big shipment of Wii Systems on Sunday morning. We decided to do the right thing and wait till Monday. We even asked Heavenly Father to help us find one in our prayers since we wanted to do the right thing. I went to Target on Monday and they told me they had 72 systems that were sold by 3 pm Sunday. As I am on Ebay, I keep seeing receipts from Target (They require the seller to show a receipt to verify that they bought the system). We have a game at Christmas but still no Wii. Okay while writing this blog, I won. Now I am scared. The system is used and the seller doesn't have many transactions. A few years ago I bought an Xbox and received a box of junk in the mail. Ebay wouldn't help me because they said it was a dispute on the quality of what I purchased. After all I did receive a box full of video game stuff. The seller disappeared. I wasn't the only one. Three or four other folks received their Xbox.

Oh well...Do I ask the kids to pray that it is a legitimate seller.

Enough for now...love to all.

On Sunday, Doug and I celebrated our 12th Anniversary. Early on in our marriage, an anniversary meant a trip somewhere, now we just watch a movie and say we are glad to be together and that we would do it all over again. To honor my husband, here are twelve things I love about Doug:

1. He never complains about the state of our house and when we need it cleaned for guests, he always pitches in.

2. He always gives backrubs without expecting me to return the favor.

3. He helps the kids nightly with homework.

4. He lets me warm my ever-cold feet on his at night in bed.

5. He is consistently kind.

6. He supports me in my callings. Even when I volunteer his services.

7. He often makes dinner with leftovers and will bring me a plate if I'm am still working.

8. He lets me choose what movie we see.

9. He makes really great omelettes.

10. He is a great father.

11. He cleans the carpets and is incredibly handy at fixing things.

12. He is a great friend and partner.

Enough for now...love to all.

Michaela and I went to an Arbonne party at our friend Celeste Bowler's house. A ten year old and forty six year old using the same products. Of course I bought $100. worth of product.

Doug and I are back to our old tricks. For enrichment craft night we built 26 frames for the embroidery project. I don't know why it doesn't occur to me that 26 frames is significantly more involved than 5 or 6. Anyway, the project went well. Michaela embroidered one and after she told me she "felt good about herself." Love it.

Enough for now...love to all.

Still no camera...
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago Spencer and Michaela were bickering over the television and it was out of control. Like any mom worn out with the role of referee, I put them in a room and had them draw up their own rules for the TV. This was the document presented to me, typed verbatim:

1. aways first agree of a show.
2. violence is not to solve problems.
3. never correct each other.
4. the show must be unviolent.
5. Mom is the last resort.
6. no bossiness.
7. if neither agree on a show one moves upstairs in the act of rock, paper, scissors.
8. if winning alot thoughtfully give a turn and go upstairs.

Such lofty goals. I am charmed but not convinced.

Enough for now...love to all.

Since I still can't find my battery charger, I thought I would upload some of my favorite photos that are in jeopardy of being lost forever. This was Spencer's Halloween costume

before I went back to work full-time (read, when I had time to make their costumes). A couple of action shots of Michaela.

Today has been a typical work day, with me spending all my time trying to create compelling data for Honda to consider purchasing. It is hard to be the "Top Rep" when the sales cycle is so long (one project I have been working on since last May) that by the time it happens, it hardly feels like a win.

The other day, Michaela was trying to trick Spencer by saying "get busy on your homework" in what she thought sounded like me. Spencer was not fooled. He came to tattle to me and said, "she sounds like Elmo with puberty on his throat." I guess it is time to clarify puberty for the kids. What a great laugh!

Enough for now...love to all.

It is a lovely rainy day here in California. I was having a little trouble concentrating on my work so I took a long bath. No one can say I'm not motivated. I loved this article in the paper and wanted to share with those I love.

Quit your whining, if you can
By Stephanie Simon, Times Staff WriterJanuary 27, 2007

Gentle reminder
click to enlarge
Highlands Ranch, Colo. — MY first attempt at a complaint-free life lasted 15 minutes.Dropping the kids at school five days after a blizzard, I found the parking lot impassible and the sidewalks treacherous. "This place is a disaster!" I called to the principal.And instantly regretted it.Why harp on a situation no one could control? I should have thanked the principal for standing in the cold to make sure his students got in safely — or brightened his day with a cheery hello.I had resolved to quit grumbling after reading about a challenge presented to the congregation of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, Mo. The Rev. Will Bowen — fed up with folks whining about his choice of worship music — asked his flock of 250 to refrain from complaining, criticizing and gossiping for three weeks.Bowen, 47, is a big fan of self-help programs. A few years back, he and his wife erased more than $40,000 in debt by following the financial makeover plan advocated by syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey. Lately, Bowen's been hooked on the writings of a fellow Unity minister, Edwene Gaines, who promises prosperity through positive thinking.Gaines proposed the concept of a complaint-free church in her book "The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance." Then Bowen came up with a gimmick to make it stick. A former radio-station manager and phonebook ad salesman — he turned to ministry four years ago — Bowen delights in giveaways. Every few weeks, he interrupts his service by distributing small gifts: picture frames, perhaps, or candles or bookmarks. "Doodad Sunday," he calls it.For the no-complaint sermon last summer, he handed out purple rubber bracelets stamped with the word SPIRIT. (They were intended for school pep rallies, but Bowen figured "spirit" could also signify the spirit of change.) Bowen told his congregants that they were to switch the bracelet to their other wrist every time they griped or sniped. Their goal: 21 consecutive days without moving the bracelet.Bowen used a quote from writer Maya Angelou as the campaign slogan: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."If only it were that simple.Before taking the challenge, Bowen had always considered himself sunny: "My job is to see God, and good, in everything."He soon realized he wasn't as imperturbable as he'd thought, especially when his beloved Kansas City Royals were blowing yet another baseball game. Some Sundays, he'd take the pulpit and confess: "I moved that bracelet 20 times this week. I wanted to take it off and throw it in a drawer."It took Bowen three months before he made it through 21 days without complaining. "And it helped," he said, "that I was on a silent retreat for three of those days."Many in his congregation worked hard to follow his example. Tom Alyea, 44, learned to keep his headaches to himself, even when he could have used a little sympathy from his wife. Linda LeMieux, 53, trained herself not to chide her husband when he drove too fast. (Though she did sometimes read aloud speed-limit signs — just for his information.)Terry Rennack, 53, had a harder time. "I work with computers — in a government environment," he said. "So, yeah. Believe me. This is the toughest thing I've ever had to do."Rennack complained about work. He complained about red lights. He complained that his no-complaint bracelet was getting stretched because he switched wrists so often. As the weeks went by, he began to realize how much he allowed trivial frustrations to dictate his mood. "It was a very humbling experience," he said.With the purple bracelet as his guide, Rennack learned to stay serene in the face of setbacks, to listen more and mouth off less. It took him three months, but he made it to 21 days, earning a "Certificate of Happiness" and the chance to hang his well-worn purple bracelet on a plastic tree in the church lobby.So far, 18 members of the congregation have met the challenge. Many more are still working at it.I slipped up time and again in the early going. I criticized my oldest daughter for (of all things) singing happily at the breakfast table, and dismissed a sculpture at the Denver Art Museum with a disdainful: "That's so ugly!"Slowly, though, I started to get the hang of it. I didn't say a word when my computer crashed or when my shower was ice-cold. I even kept mum when my husband spent a half-hour wrestling with our son before bed. Not so much as a "told you so" when the little guy was so hyped up he had trouble falling asleep.
At one point, I went two days without complaining. Even when I lapsed, I noticed my grumbles were muted.I also noticed that my family was not taking my success well. I was chirpy (and, worse yet, smug about my good cheer) until something irritated me. Then, I sulked. Instead of coming right out with a critique, I'd give everyone the silent treatment.Our family discussions had always been loving, but spiked with sarcasm, teasing and good-natured grumbling. Now I was censoring every word, and our easy give-and-take suffered.Many in Bowen's congregation praised the bracelets for bringing their families closer; I wondered where I was going wrong."People deal with life in different ways," psychologist Barbara Held reassured me. A professor at Bowdoin College in Maine, Held resents what she calls "the tyranny of the positive." In her book "Stop Smiling, Start Kvetching: A 5-Step Guide to Creative Complaining," she urges Americans to drop the pretense that everything is always rosy."Maybe I should start selling 'It's OK to complain' bracelets," she said.She'd probably sell a bundle. The urge to complain is so universal, it's recently been elevated to an art. Under the coordination of two Helsinki artists, citizens in several cities have created "Complaints Choirs" to sing aloud their grievances about unfaithful lovers, reeking buses, even drunken plumbers.Bowen dreams of countering such negativity with an army of positive thinkers.He has spent $10,000 in church funds (not that the board would think of complaining) to give away about 70,000 purple bracelets, taking requests through his website, http://www.thecomplaintfreechurch.org/ . Soldiers in Iraq have put in orders. So have pastors, teachers, drug counselors, Boy Scout leaders. (Perhaps not grasping the concept, one minister returned his batch — with a complaint about the quality.) An elderly woman in Florida requested one, explaining that most of her friends had passed away but that she was determined not to be bitter in her loneliness.On a recent afternoon, Bowen bounded cheerfully among a dozen volunteers filling orders. Two bracelets to Colfax, Calif.; 500 to Papillion, Neb.; 1,000 to a natural foods store in Wenatchee, Wash. Stacks of manila envelopes and taped-up shoeboxes filled the room.After more than four hours of counting bracelets and sealing envelopes, Kim Martin, 52, let out a small whoop of relief. "Looks like we're done!" she said.But that very moment, Robin Stanley headed her way, carrying an overlooked stack of mailing labels. "We got more," said Stanley, 53.Martin took a deep breath."Yea!" she said, attempting a chipper tone.Bowen came over to check on them. "I'm tired," Stanley told him, adding: "That's not a complaint. Just a statement of fact. I didn't realize what a production this was."Listening, I realized that I may have been taking the complaint-free life too literally.It wasn't reasonable to suppress every remark or tone of voice that could be construed as a complaint. Even Bowen and his wife stretched the rules a bit. When someone irritated them, they'd remark, "I bet he sure can whistle." It was an inside joke, a way of saying that even the most aggravating souls have a ray of good in them. It was also, perhaps, a way to vent in code."Everything comes down to the energy you put into it," Bowen said. "If I say calmly, 'I smashed my finger last week and it still hurts,' that's a statement of fact. But if I'm whining, 'Oooh, I hurt my finger! It hurts so bad!' then that's complaining…. And 99% of it is not beneficial."Back home after visiting the church, I put aside my purple bracelet. But I resolved to keep watching my words.When the fourth big storm in a month dumped eight more inches of snow on our neighborhood, I made a point of not starting every conversation with a grumpy "Can you believe this weather?" Instead, I remarked on the beauty of the white-capped Rockies.I think it gave my neighbors a lift. How could it not? The mountains truly are stunning.Then again, the view only goes so far when you're driving the kids to school on roads rutted with hard-packed snow and ice. It would be great if the county could send a plow. That's not a complaint. Just a statement of fact.

Enough for now...love to all

Looks like I am getting a little lax in my blogging. We have been pretty busy this week. Thursday was Scout pack meeting, Friday a party at the Bowlers. I took some photos but can't seem to locate the cord to my battery.

I read an article in the newspaper about a minister who challenged members of his congregation to go three weeks without complaining. He gave them a plastic wrist band that said, "Spirit" and each time they complaining, they were to move it from one wrist to the other. I have developed an habit of complaining about work continually and I thought this would be an interesting challenge. I will blog my progress. Of course, that would be if I could find a wristband in this mess of a house. Complain, complain, complain.

Spencer and Michaela may kill me one day for posting this old photo of them in the tub but it is one of my favorites. Look at the angelic faces and all the parts are covered appropriately. I thought the light on the water was so pretty.

I am so proud of Michaela today. She cut off ten inches of her hair and donated it to Locks of Love. She loves her hair long and it was quite a sacrifice. We talked about the child that would benefit from a wig made from the hair and how hard it would be to have chemotherapy. As soon as I can find my charger I will take some pictures of her new hairdo. She made me promise not to cry. A cried a little, tears of joy, for my child learning to experience the feelings associated with generosity and also because we will not have as much trouble doing her hair every morning.

Story people quote:

I had a teacher once who said the greatest mystery of the universe was her husband & after that I could never understand why we wasted so much time on things like the cure for cancer or putting a man on the moon when we could just have all those scientists working on him.

Enough for now...love to all.

We had a great weekend in Vegas. We saw Cirque du Soleil at the Wynn. The show was in the round and all the acts were performed in water or on the ropes. Pretty amazing stuff. We gave Doug a karaoke machine that I picked up an after Christmas toy sale. Amiee, our daughter-in-law sang a Disney tune, the first time I have heard her. She can sing. We sang all the numbers from Newsies, Wicked and a Disney Princess disk. Good times. On Saturday night, we went to the Luxor for an IMAX movie about walking on the moon and after a walk down the strip to the Bellagio to see "the dancing waters." This name was given to the Bellagio fountains by Michaela when she was three. I kept reminding myself not to think about work and to stay in the moment. Spencer asked me to take this photo of him with "the most beautiful trash" he had ever seen. The Bellagio boasts of having the largest chocolate fountain in the world. The chocolate (3 varieties, white, caramel and dark) pours through a beautiful crystal sculpture. Nearly a ton of chocolate.

I am also posting a new "favorite" picture of Spence and Michaela. The look on Spencer's face typifies their relationship. He feels the constant need to be on guard with her. It is her mission in life to test and try her brother.

All in all a great weekend celebrating Doug's Birthday.

Enough for now...love to all.

Today is Doug's 51st birthday and we are celebrating in Las Vegas. We should be celebrating his 50th since last year's birthday was such a bummer (he left Questar on the 16th). This year he became a grandpa, got a new job, moved to California and started receiving AARP mailings. This morning he told me he not only feels old but thinks he looks old. Not really true but I can empathize. This year has worn us both out.

I am grateful for this good man in my life. He is a great partner and father. HAPPY 51st.

Enough for now....love to all